2010-07-06
The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation sponsors
The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army
at the Royal Ontario Museum
Exhibition marks the Terracotta Army’s
first visit to Canada
Based in Hong Kong and engaged in both local and international programmes, the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation has been a keen supporter of cultural events that promote cross-cultural understanding between China and the world. This year, the foundation supports the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) to present
The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army, bringing museums, archeological institutions, curators, academics as well as the general public together for cultural exchange. The exhibition marks the terracotta army’s first visit to Canada, featuring a significant number of artifacts that have never been displayed before outside China. The exhibition was unveiled on June 26 and will be on view for six months. With lecture series and school tours themed around the exhibition, the foundation aims to deepen the public’s understanding of classical Chinese civilization and culture.
A platform for cross-cultural exchange
The terracotta army’s visit to the ROM has been highly anticipated in Toronto. Founder of the foundation, Robert H. N. Ho said, "The foundation takes great pleasure in sponsoring the Royal Ontario Museum to present the exhibition. This represents a fine example of important cross-cultural exchange between 16 museums and heritage preservation institutions in China and Canada. New archeological finds as well as relics that have never travelled outside Mainland China are interestingly featured. Audiences will discover a great deal of history and culture from the pre-Qin, Qin and Han dynasties."
"The foundation sees educational public events as important as the exhibition itself. We are pleased that the ROM is presenting themed events, from archeology to afterlife, for the public to learn more about the Qin and Han civilizations" added Robert H. N. Ho.
Terracotta General, Civil Official and Horse are cultural ambassadors
The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army features nearly 250 artifacts, which include 10 life-sized complete terracotta sculptures, comprising eight human figures and two life-sized horses. The human figures depict military and civil personnel including general, soldier, archer, civil official and entertainer. Notably, it features two of the nine terracotta general ever recovered. Each human figure is unique and crafted with a distinct personality.
Highlighting the life, times and afterlife of the First Emperor of the Qin dynasty, as well as the terracotta warriors produced during his lifetime, the exhibition explores the figures in a broad historical and social context. Exhibition visitors will learn more about China’s history and the political and social transition during these periods in an interactive and multimedia display.
Archaeologists have unearthed approximately 2,000 full sized terracotta warrior and horses from three ancient pits since 1974. Excavations have been ongoing at the monumental tomb complex of the First Emperor of Qin. Aspects of his life are continuously being revealed and inclusion of these recent finds in the exhibition emphasizes the site’s importance to archaeologists and scholars.
The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army is now on at the ROM and will last until Jan 2, 2011. For more information about the exhibition, please visit
www.rom.on.ca/terracottaarmy
About the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation
Founded in 2005, the mission of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation is to promote Chinese arts and culture, and to foster deeper understanding of Buddhist philosophy.
The Foundation actively supports arts and cultural programmes around the world. In 2007, it supported
Britain Meets the World: 1714-1830, a venture between the British Museum and the Palace Museum in Beijing that presented the world-view of the Britons as the country was emerging as an international power in the Georgian era. In early 2008, the Foundation partnered with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York to present
Cai Guo Qiang: I Want to Believe, the museum’s first-ever solo retrospective of a contemporary Chinese artist. In the same year, the Foundation supported
Power & Glory: Court Arts of China’s Ming Dynasty, the first-ever co-operative effort among the Asian Art Museum, the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Shanghai Museum and the Nanjing Municipal Museum. From 2007 to 2010, the Foundation is sponsoring performances by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan in London, New York and Vancouver. The Foundation is also collaborating with the Honolulu Academy of Arts in a multi-year project that aims to preserve, document and present the living Vajrayana Buddhist culture of Bhutan. A related exhibition,
The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan, began touring in early 2008 and will continue until 2010 in New York, San Francisco, Paris, Cologne and Zurich.
A major area of the Foundation’s work is to support projects that revitalize traditional arts that are significant to Chinese cultural history. To ensure that these art forms continue for generations to come, the Foundation funds organizations that have deep knowledge of traditional Chinese arts, as well as the passion to bring them to life:
From 2006-2009, the Foundation sponsored a programme initiated by Professor Pai Hsien-yung that included free performances and lectures of Kun Opera at universities throughout Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to foster a wider understanding and appreciation of Kun Opera, one of the oldest forms of Chinese opera that dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
In May 2010, the Foundation partnered with The Prince’s Charities in the United Kingdom to present the film,
The Emperor’s Secret Garden, which tells the story of Juanqinzhai, a unique building inside the Forbidden City with some of the finest architectural interiors and decor of the Qianlong reign that had been closed for almost a century.
The Foundation is supporting the production of
We All Live in The Forbidden City by the Design and Cultural Studies Workshop in Hong Kong. To be launched in September 2010, the publication and exhibition will use a fun approach to introduce children to ancient treasures of the 600 year-old home of China’s emperors.
In Hong Kong, the Foundation develops arts education programmes that fulfill local cultural needs. These include
Through Our Eyes, a creative arts programme that focuses on helping young people find and express their authentic voices through photography and creative writing;
Get It Write!, a mentoring scheme that helps teenagers express themselves authentically through writing; and
Leap!, an education programme presented in collaboration with Cloud Gate Dance School of Taiwan that aims to encourage self-discovery and expression for children aged 4 to 6.
To learn more about the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, please visit its official website at
www.rhfamilyfoundation.org
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| Released by |
| Link-work Communication (HK) Ltd. |
| on behalf of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation |
| Media Enquiry |
| The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation |
| Janet Tong |
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| Link-work Communication (HK) Ltd. |
| Avis Cheng |
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| Photos |
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To promote cross-cultural understanding between China and the world, the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation sponsored the Royal Ontario Musuem to present The Warrior Emperor and China's Terracotta Army.
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To deepen the public's understanding of classic Chinese civilization and culture, the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation supported the terracotta army's first visit to Canada.
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Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Terracotta Army Museum(Terracotta Army Pit No. 1)
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
© ROM, 2010
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| Photo 4 |
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Armoured General
Earthenware
Qin dynasty, 221-206 BC
Emperor Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army Museum
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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| Photo 5 |
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Terracotta Horse
Earthenware
Qin dynasty, 221-206 BC
Emperor Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army Museum
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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| Photo 6 |
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Terracotta Soldier
Earthenware
Qin dynasty, 221-206 BC
Emperor Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army Museum
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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Early Jade Pendant
Jade
Spring and Autumn period, 771-481 BC
Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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| Photo 8 |
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Terracotta Dog
Earthenware
Han dynasty, 206 BC-AD 220
Hanyangling Museum
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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Gold fitting for a bridle
Gold
Warring States Period, 481-221 BC
Fengxiang County Museum
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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Pictorial Tomb Gate
Stone
Han dynasty, 206 BC-AD 220
Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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Pendant Set
Jade
Spring & Autumn Period, 771-481 BC
Longxian County Museum
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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| Photo 12 |
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Civil Official
Earthenware
Qin dynasty, 221-206 BC
Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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Female attendant
Earthenware
Han dynasty, 206 BC-AD 220
Hanyangling Museum
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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Goose
Earthenware
Han dynasty, 206 BC-AD 220
Xi‘an Municipal Museum
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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Kneeling Archer
Earthenware and paint
Qin dynasty, 221-206 BC
Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Terracotta Army Museum
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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Duke of Qin’s Bell
Bronze
Spring and Autumn Period, 771-481 BC
Baoji Bronze Museum
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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Wall Painting
Clay
Qin dynasty, 221-206 BC
Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
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Terracotta Army Pit No. 1 (detail)
Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Terracotta Army Museum
© Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China
© ROM, 2010
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